Spirit Forest 3

In the Spirit Forest, the ground was covered with the blood and remains of spirit beasts scattered everywhere. Dark red blood flowed across the earth, and screams of pain echoed from all directions. Among these was the desperate plea of a man, begging for mercy in vain.

"Please! Let me go! I can serve you! I'll give you everything!" the man screamed, overwhelmed with terror, as Li Huang held his head firmly, his gaze cold and unyielding.

Li Huang smiled faintly, his crimson eyes gleaming with cruelty as he held the Imperial Book—a newly acquired ability from the night before. A small smile of satisfaction crept across his face as words began to appear in the book.

Name: Zhang Yang

Physique: Sacred Flame Physique (Emperor Level)

As the text manifested in the book, Zhang Yang let out a blood-curdling scream before collapsing, unconscious. Li Huang, still smiling, casually stomped on Zhang Yang's head, crushing it underfoot. Blood and bone fragments splattered across the ground.

"Rest in peace," Li Huang murmured.

The night before, Li Huang had discovered a new ability from his Eternal Emperor Physique—The Imperial Book. This special power allowed him to record the names of people, and once their names were written in the book, Li Huang could control their abilities, as well as their fates, both life and death, at his will, provided their cultivation was not greater than his own.

Furthermore, the Imperial Book could steal the abilities of others if three crucial conditions were met: blood, essence, and a fragment of the person's soul had to be placed within the book, and the individual had to utter the words, "I offer you everything." If these conditions were satisfied, Li Huang could take their powers—be it unique physiques, techniques, alchemy knowledge, or weapon crafting. Even if the individual perished, their abilities would remain within the book and continue to grow as Li Huang's cultivation advanced.

Li Huang pondered this power as he reflected on the use of the Shadow Guards, the Black Dragon Cavalry, and the Golden Throne Army. While their powers were formidable, Li Huang felt that they did not fully resonate with him. This realization sparked an eagerness to find something more suited to his own strength.

Meanwhile, one of his Shadow Guards, part of his intelligence network, came to report on the Spirit Forest. They had found no beasts capable of breeding quickly enough to serve as a "Kill point farm" for harvesting kill points. Hearing this, Li Huang decided to move forward with his backup plan.

After a moment of thought, Li Huang summoned Zhi Yuan, the general of the Golden Throne Army, for a consultation. He handed Zhi Yuan a detailed development plan for the future of the Heavenly Flame Dynasty. This plan included the creation of a trade guild owned by Li Huang, which would control the flow of wealth and key resources within the dynasty. The plan also involved constructing a new economic structure, including markets to distribute goods across the cities and promoting agriculture to ensure the dynasty's self-sufficiency, though it would take time to implement.

"I want every city to contribute to the economic development, and I want the people to work for me," Li Huang declared.

Zhi Yuan accepted the command with determination, discussing the potential development of the Spirit Forest. After deliberating, they decided that the Spirit Forest would be transformed into a large-scale farm, including both crop farming and livestock, to provide for the population of the Heavenly Flame Dynasty.

"Although we have great power, it is my power alone…" Li Huang mused, his thoughts drifting toward something deeper.

Later, Li Huang set out to personally survey the land for the farms, as everyone in the Golden Throne Army was occupied with other tasks, and he also wished to see the world for himself, given that the former owner of his body had rarely ventured beyond the palace walls.

Returning to the present, still in the Spirit Forest, Li Huang spoke with firm resolve, "Bring me all the information on the animal species within the Spirit Forest."

Immediately, one of the Shadow Guards emerged from the shadows and presented him with a scroll, containing detailed information they had gathered about the various creatures in the forest. Li Huang quickly scanned through the data before issuing his next order.

"The Demon Cattle, Thunder Pigs, and Black-feathered Chickens—keep only those three species. Kill all the others, leave no survivors."

Li Huang's command was swiftly relayed to all forces. The Shadow Guards and Black Dragon Cavalry received the order and wasted no time in carrying out the extermination, eliminating all species deemed unfit for the forest. Meanwhile, the beneficial creatures were preserved and set to be used as a sustainable food source for the Heavenly Flame Dynasty.